Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital SMART Edition of The Times-Tribune on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at thetimes-tribune.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device, read the Smart Edition sign up for daily newsletters, activate your all access, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

After months of preparation, the inaugural Scranton Half Marathon will get under way at 9 a.m. today at George's Garage on Providence Road and finish inside Scranton Memorial Stadium. An awards ceremony following the race will take place inside the stadium at 11:30 a.m.

"We feel very ready," race director Matt Byrne said. "We feel like we did everything we can to keep people safe and have a good time at the same time. The weather looks like it's going to cooperate, and that's good news. We're excited."

The Weather Channel projects today to have a high of 57 degrees with sunny skies. At start time, however, it will only be 34 and sunny, which should make for bearable conditions for the 2,784 registered participants.

The past week for Byrne and the rest of the race committee has been devoted to tieing up some loose ends and also some bigger items, like hanging banners at the finish line as well as other signs throughout the course.

"For the most part, it's been smooth," Byrne said. "We're pretty happy with how it's all gone."

Among the parts of Scranton the 13.1 mile race will go through are the Plot, Green Ridge, downtown and the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail.

The runner turnout hasn't been surprising to Byrne, as he has always felt that the Scranton area was a running community. But the help they received from volunteers, corporate sponsors, the police department and the rest of the community involvement has been overwhelming.

He said the race couldn't have been made possible without the countless hours that were put in by those people to ensure the best atmosphere for both the runners and fans who will take in the race, wherever they choose to do so.

"When anyone asks me if I expected (the turnout and the response), I wasn't surprised about the response of the running community," Byrne said. "But the help, that kind of blew my mind. We didn't just get a couple people, we got hundreds of people. We have thousands of people in some area.

"The Scranton Police Department has been unbelievable. The Scranton School District has been fantastic. It just wouldn't be possible without all their help."

Weather Forecast: Today's high is expected to be 57 degrees with sunny skies and zero percent chance of rain.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.